Review of WYSIWYG Markdown editors for Linux
A new guide highlights several WYSIWYG Markdown editors available for Linux users, offering easy formatting without memorizing syntax. These tools provide real-time rendering and toolbars for creating documents. The article, published on October 6, 2025, lists options for both open-source and proprietary software.
Markdown, a lightweight markup language popular for GitHub repositories and technical documentation, typically requires learning specific syntax. However, WYSIWYG editors allow users to see formatted output in real time, using toolbars for headings, bullet points, and code blocks.
The guide recommends MarkText, an Electron-based editor with a minimal single-pane interface, focus modes, and exports to HTML and PDF. It supports six themes and is installable via AppImage, Flatpak, or AUR.
Marknote, part of KDE, organizes notes into notebooks with a sidebar and exports to HTML, ODT, and PDF. It uses Qt graphics and is available through Flatpak or Snap.
MarkFlowy, in beta, features AI capabilities, a clean interface, and exports to HTML and JPG. It comes in DEB, RPM, and AppImage formats.
Notesnook, a note-taking app, supports multiple notebooks, end-to-end encryption, and syncing. Free tier limits to 20 notebooks; exports to HTML and text via Flatpak, AppImage, or Snap.
Non-FOSS options include Znote with AI and audio recording, available as AppImage; Typora with extensive exports and themes, via Flatpak; and Octarine with workspaces but no exports in free tier, in AppImage, DEB, and RPM.
For web developers, embeddable editors like Toast UI Editor, Milkdown, and MDXEditor offer JavaScript-based solutions with plugins.
Author Pulkit Chandak notes the scarcity of open-source WYSIWYG options and invites suggestions.